The Pyre of Queens

Mandore, Rajasthan, 769 AD: Ravindra-Raj, the evil sorcerer-king, devises a deadly secret ritual, where he and his seven queens will burn on his pyre, and he will rise again with the powers of Ravana, demon-king of the epic Ramayana. But things go wrong when one queen, the beautiful, spirited Darya, escapes with the help of Aram Dhoop, the court poet.

Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 2010: At the site of ancient Mandore, teenagers Vikram, Amanjit, Deepika and Rasita meet and realize that the deathless king and his ghostly brides are hunting them down. As vicious forces from the past come alive, they need to unlock truths that have been hidden for centuries, and fight an ancient battle . . . one more time.

Pyre of Queens awarded the LIANZA Young Adult book award for 2012

On the 3rd August 2012, Pyre of Queens, the first book of the Return of Ravana series, was awarded the LIANZA Young Adult book award for 2012. Judge Colleen Shipley, Librarian at Marlborough Girls College, said the judging panel was impressed by the quality of novels published for teenagers over the past year, but David Hair’s Pyre of Queens stood out. “The freshness and originality of the plot was appealing and we became totally absorbed in the story. Strong male and female characters; action; history and a touch of romance means there is something for everyone in this book,” she said.

Many people had a part in bringing Pyre of Queens into being, but David would especially like to thank the following people: Mike Bryan of Penguin India for the encouragement and ideas that started the ball rolling on this series; Sudeshna Shome Ghosh, editor for all four books of the series, whose enthusiasm, perception and imagination were crucial to the way the books came out; Kunal Kundu for his vibrant cover art; Katie Haworth of Penguin New Zealand for supporting bringing the series to New Zealand; and of course the wonderful Kerry Greig, my lovely wife, whose enthusiasm, proof-reading prowess and encouragement lie behind all my stories.

Reviews for Pyre of Queens

I was ultimately surprised by the intricately woven and complex struggle between the strong, admirable and very different heroes/heroines as they discover if they have the strength to change the past, and the terrifyingly evil villains who hunt them at every turn. This book will grab you by the throat (maybe not from the get-go but it will getcha) and won’t let go until the end. Teens/young adults and mature readers who love action-packed fantasy and graphic, suspenseful stories will love it.
Myra Davis Jan. 3rd, 2011

David Hair’s book Pyre of Queens is an extremely interesting and riveting book. A book which will keep you hooked to the very end with its various twists and turns. Hair has managed to pack horror, reincarnation, mythology, ritual of Sati, history all in one book!
http://thebookloversreview.blogspot.com

This is the cover for the revised edition of 'Pyre of Queens', retitled 'The Pyre'